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The Grind of Professional Fighting Becoming a professional fighter takes years of repetition, drilling techniques and training footwork until everything is instinctual. Your body needs an automatic answer for every limb, from every angle. In MMA, which encompasses every martial art, it’s even harder. Authentic Fighter Experience EA Sports’ UFC 6 realistically captures the grind of this brutal discipline. Throw on Career Mode and you spend most of your time working on combos and techniques. It’s all about making the complex controls feel second nature, increasing the effectiveness of every strike thrown by your fighter. With simulated six-week-long training camps between bouts, you can sometimes spar 12 times before a fight that could be over in a matter of seconds. The Fighting Itself Happily, the fighting itself is excellent. UFC games have had a bit of a rock-’em’-sock-’em quality to them, but this latest instalment does a great job at creating more natural animations, flowing beautifully between the different levels submissions, wrestling, and stand-up — of an MMA fight. It looks almost worryingly realistic, too. From the pores on their skin to the wrinkles on the soles of their feet, these character models are the most detailed I’ve seen in a sports fighter. The Legacy Story Mode A welcome new addition is The Legacy, a story mode that mythologises the rise of an up and coming fictional wrestler who’s trying to escape the shadow of his famous father, while brewing up a rivalry with another prospect at the same gym. It’s fully acted-out melodrama, your very own Rocky story, shining a light on how violence occasionally spills outside the Octagon and stains careers; inbetween fights, you attend press conferences and respond to provocations on social media. Conclusion Between the fluid fighting and the story-mode razzmatazz, this is the best version yet of EA’s fight-sim series. UFC 6 is out now; £69.99

The Emergence of Goals A new football game called Goals has been launched, offering a free-to-play alternative to EA Sports FC. Developed by a Stockholm-based studio, Goals promises a fast-paced, responsive experience with a focus on skill rather than licensing or scripting. Gameplay and Features Goals offers a simplified control scheme with a focus on fast-paced action. The game features randomly generated teams and players, with no real-life licensing. Players can earn XP and improve their performance, but also age and retire, forcing players to continually tweak their squad. Fast-paced and responsive gameplay No scripting or assisted passing/shooting accuracy Randomly generated teams and players Players can earn XP and improve performance Available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S The Impact of Goals on the Football Gaming Market The launch of Goals marks a significant shift in the football gaming market, which has been dominated by EA Sports FC for over a decade. With its innovative approach and focus on skill-based gameplay, Goals has the potential to disrupt the market and attract players looking for a new football gaming experience. The Future of Goals The success of Goals will depend on its ability to maintain a strong player base and attract new players. The game's monetization system, which allows players to spend money on packs of players, may also impact its popularity. As the game continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how it competes with established titles like EA Sports FC and eFootball.

The recent ruling that Meta and YouTube are liable for creating addictive products has intensified the debate on restricting social media use for under-16s. However, there's another crucial aspect to consider: 85% of kids and teens interact online through video games. The suggestion to curb online gaming alongside social media restrictions raises significant concerns about feasibility and impact.Some online games, like Roblox, have proven to be unsafe environments for children, with cases of grooming and child exploitation. Nevertheless, implementing a ban on online gaming would be a regulatory nightmare. Games like Minecraft or EA Sports FC have different online components, making a blanket restriction difficult to enforce.Banning teens from playing games online entirely would be detrimental. Online games are vital social spaces for millions of teens, offering a few arenas where they can interact without adult surveillance. With two-thirds of council-run youth centers lost since 2010, video games fill a critical gap.The core problem lies in the internet's heterogeneous nature. Games, social media, and YouTube are distinct, making it hard to cancel out potential harms without also eliminating benefits. Instead of banning young people, the focus should be on taking back the internet from manipulative big tech companies.Parents concerned about their children's safety can use existing parental controls to mitigate risks. Features like chat restrictions, time limits, and age-appropriate settings can ensure children enjoy games while staying safe. A ban would introduce no further benefit and could cause significant harm.